Fight Preview (July 27th)

Zou Shiming vs. Jesus Ortega   

On Saturday night from Macao, China HBO2 will once again put on a boxing card headlined by Chinese Olympic medalist Zou Shiming.  This time around it will be a 6 rounder instead of 4 once again in the flyweight division and Shiming will be fighting another Mexican fighter.  He will be taking on Jesus Ortega who like Shiming is very new to professional boxing.  While Chinese fans will always come out to watch Shiming, U.S. fans might not be so willing so Shiming needs to be much improved from his last foray into the ring.

Shiming is one of the most storied amateurs in boxing history and fans are very aware of this but if he wants to be a successful professional he will need to make some changes.  In his first professional fight Shiming took on Eleazar Valenzuela and got the decision victory which didn't come as a surprise to anyone.  However Shiming did not look impressive at all, especially in the punching department.  Shiming didn't seem to posses any power and most of his punches were slapping blows.  Shiming was also touched up a few times but nothing too serious.  Shiming has a record of 1-0 and at the age of 32 he will need to be much more active if he ever hopes to fight for a title.  Saturday night will tell a lot about the future of Shiming.  If he comes out slapping punches and getting touched up again U.S. fans definitely won't be tuning in for his next fight but he he looks sharp and scores an impressive knockout the Shiming experience will continue.  

As for Shiming's opponent there isn't much that needs to be said.  Ortega has a record of 3-1 with 2 knockouts and if Shiming's people thought Ortega had any chance of scoring an upset he wouldn't be in this fight.  At this point in Shimng's career he is fighting guys his people think he can easily beat, these are showcase fights.  The question is whether Ortega will be in the ring just to earn his paycheck or if he will be offended by being used to showcase Shiming and go all out for the win.  Hopefully Ortega comes in hungry and makes Shiming really work.

This fight is the headline of the China card but don't expect anything special.  This is all about Shiming and how impressive he looks.  If Ortega lands some good punches the fans will have gotten their moneys worth.  Shiming will probably dance in and out like in his last bout but hopefully this time around he turns on his punches and goes for the knockout instead of the boring decision.  

PREDICTION: Zou Shiming will look slightly more impressive than his last time in the ring but he still doesn't get his first knockout.  Shiming wins via unanimous decision.

   Evgeny Gradovich vs. Mauricio Munoz  

An intriguing fight on the China card will be a 12 round title fight in the featherweight division.  This fight will feature tough Russian brawler Evgeny Gradovich taking on Argentine Mauricio Munoz.  This fight will be for Gradovich's title belt he took from Billy Dib on Friday Night Fights.  

Gradovich is known as the "Mexican Russian" which tells you a lot about his fighting style.  Mainly he likes to come forward, apply constant pressure, and trade punches on the inside.  He isn't the biggest guy in the world and is rail thin but the guy comes to fight and he can dish it out as well as take it.  Gradovich has a career record of 16-0 with 8 knockouts and is trained by on of the best in the sport in Robert Garcia.  Being trained by Garcia and being around fighters such as Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios seems to have rubbed off on Gradovich because he loves a good action brawl.  He shouldn't waste any time going after Munoz and he will be applying pressure all night.

Munoz will be fighting outside of Argentina for the first time in his career and against an opponent like Gradovich that could be very dangerous.  But when you have a title shot you go where they tell you to.  Munoz has a solid record of 26-3 with a decent 12 knockouts and he has also been knocked out once himself. but that came against the legendary Toshiaki Nishioka so nothing to be ashamed of there.  Munoz isn't a very fast fighter and isn't very busy either.  He fights with his hands somewhat low and doesn't use much head movement.  He seems to wait for his opponent to get impatient and then goes in for the kill.  One positive for Munoz is that he has tremendous power to the body and uses it well.  If he wants to beat Gradovich he will have to go to the body early and often and be busier than usual.

If Munoz stays busy this could be a very exciting phone booth fight.  But if Munoz fights in his usual tempo Gradovich should have his way with him.  For Gradovich this fight could lead to bigger name fights that he deserves and for Munoz a win would give him a title belt and a name big time boxing fans instantly recognize.

PREDICTION: Evgeny Gradovich will be too busy for Munoz and chip away at him round after round.  I don't think Gradovich will get the knockout but he will get the unanimous decision victory.

Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Milan Melindo  

Another solid fight on this card will feature two fighters very familiar with China.  That is because both fighters made a name for themselves the last time HBO took the trip to China.  Those men were Juan Francisco Estrada and Milan Melindo and they will be fighting for  Estrada's flyweight title.  This fight could be the best of the night as it promises fast paced action from start to finish.

Estrada really impressed fans his last time in China.  He fought Brian Viloria who was known as an exciting action fighter and one of the best in the flyweight division.  That was until he ran into Estrada who made him look very slow and very old.  Estrada won that fight via split decision but it was clear to everyone who watched the fight that he dominated.  Estrada holds a career record of 24-2 with a solid 18 knockouts.  Estrada has very fast hands and always seems to be moving just enough to bother his opponent.  His opponent come Saturday night will need to be very sharp if he wants to stay unbeaten.  

Melindo will be that opponent and holds a career record of 29-0 with an alright 12 knockouts.  This will be his second fight in China and only his second fight outside of his native Philippines.  Melindo doesn't have much power but he is a very intelligent boxer.  He has strong defense always keeping his hands up and ready.  He also likes to apply pressure on his opponent and land quick combinations with his blazing hand speed.  The movement of Estrada may bother Melindo but the defense of Melindo could also cause problems for Estrada which should make this a fun fight to watch.

This is really a toss up type fight.  It could easily go either way and not be a surprise to anyone watching.  Both fighters have very fast hands and solid defense.  It could be an action fight with both boxers landing impressive combinations or it could be a little bit slower fight with solid defense and each boxer feeling the other out.  For the sake of the fans lets hope for the action fight.

PREDICTION: This is the toughest fight to pick on the card.  It could easily end in a draw but I predict that Juan Francisco Estrada will win via split decision.